More character development Do's & Don'ts...
Don’t… make your hero/heroine so perfect, they are inhuman.
When you don’t include fatal flaws (physical, emotional, and mental), then your hero/heroine will feel rigid, one-dimensional. Readers can only bond with three-dimensional characters.
Flaws make the hero/heroine not only have more obstacles, but they make hero/heroines three-dimensional. And more human.
Do… give your hero/heroine flaws that match or counter-act their strengths.
Then play these off one another. Imagine a hero/heroine is a fast runner —a track star from their college years. But he/she is afraid of heights. So as that murderous ex pursues the hero/heroine over the rooftops of an old Moroccan village, these two character aspects will entangle, forcing the hero/heroine to make a choice: change or die.
That’s not just an interesting character but a compelling human situation. That’s conflict.
Go forth and conquer, Angels.
Your ever-faithful Editor Devil
Love it! After all, the main job of a character is to emotionally connect with the reader - and nobody emotionally connects with the "perfect." Good tip!
ReplyDeleteHi Christine,
ReplyDeletewhen you say "fatal flaws" you don't mean anything actually fatal, like heart condition that would put your character in situation where he could literally drop dead at any point?
Thanks, Writing Goddess! You're right, perfect doesn't sell.
ReplyDeleteFiretulip, good question. Fatal flaw means his/her Achilles heel. As in what makes them vulnerable. This can be on multiple levels, like emotional, physical, spiritual. And they work best when combined in an attack by your villain (for most genres). Like Darth Vader not just fighting Luke and cursing Luke's mentor, but telling him he's Luke's father. Triple whammy!